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Striped Owl
The Striped Owl (or Asio Clamator) was first described by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot in 1807. He did this using a Cayenne specimen. This owl's first genus belonged to . The Striped Owl had this genus all to itself, but it now belongs to the genus Asio. Description: The Striped Owl is a medium-sized owl of 30-38 centimeters in length. It has brownish-white facial disks with a distinct black rim. Its ear tufts are long and very prominent, and are mostly black. Its upperparts are a tawny-buff. The Striped Owls' back and mantle are mottled and have dark streaks. Its flight feathers are barred dark and light brown. Its underparts are pale tawny to buffy-whitish, prominently striped with dark brown or black. The Striped Owls' tarsi and toes are covered with creamy feathers. Said before in the passage, the Striped Owl is medium-sized, reaching a total length of 38 centimeters. Its wingspan is shorter than its total length, being 22-29 centimeters. Its tail length is 13-16 centimeters. The weight of a female ranges from 14-18 ounces, with a male's weight being around 11.9-12 ounces. Call: The song of a male Striped Owl is a series of accurately-spaced hoots (intervals of several seconds). It is higher in pitch than the song of the male Long-Eared Owl. Also single, rather nasal hoots lasting around 1 second are emitted. It begins softly, rising in pitch and volume as it continues, and declines with a "nuuong.". Females give a similar but higher-pitched song. When contacting a mate, a female will give a screeching sound. When disturbed, a male will give a single barking note that sounds like "wow!". ''Both sexes utter a series of barking calls: ''"how-how-how-howhowowo!". Habits and Hunting: The Striped Owl becomes active at dusk and occasionally sunset. It is nocturnal. In the daytime, it roosts in bushes or dense foliage of trees, sometimes within cover on the ground. Several may gather in flocks outside of breeding season, roosting close together by day. The Striped Owl flies with rather shallow, fast wingbeats. It generally hunts small mammals and small vertebrates, as well as insects. It has rather powerful talons with long claws, ableing it to catch larger prey than the Long-Eared Owl. It often perches on fece posts, watching for prey. It also swoops down on prey spotted from flight, which is rather low for the Striped Owl.. Breeding: The male claims his territory by singing from perches. During courtships, male and female Striped Owls duet. They generally nest in a shallow depression on the ground or in flattened vegetation on it. It occasionally uses low, open cavities in decayed stumps or dead leaf bases at the trunks or palms. They lay 2-4 white eggs, and incubation starts on the first egg laid. Incubation is done only by the female, lasting around 4 weeks. Mortality: The Striped Owls' age is not recognized, but natural enemies are basically known. Larger owls and birds of prey are probably ''enemies. Human-related mortalities include road kills and shootings. '''Habitat:' The Striped Owl thrives in open and semi-open grassland, marshland, scrub, humid forest edge and woodland. They live from sea level up to approximately 1,600 meters. They are distributed from much of South America, Central America, and are even found in southern Mexico. (Reference: OWLS: A Guide to the Owls of the World, The Owl Pages)